


Bad Intentions

by unsungpoet



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-04
Updated: 2017-10-17
Packaged: 2018-12-11 03:50:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11706216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unsungpoet/pseuds/unsungpoet
Summary: Mal is a rebellious young witch just trying to get away from her coven. Evie is an insufferable queen bee who knows exactly how to get under Mal's skin. When Evie brings up the part of Mal's past that she's trying to forget, Mal has no choice but to find out just how much Evie knows. But in order to do that, Mal is going to have to go to the person she's been running away from, the one person she hates more than Evie—Uma.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so after I watched Descendants 2, I got very deep in the Mal/Evie zone. Since Mal is typically portrayed as the darker and more dangerous one, I had this idea to play with the personalities a bit and sort of turn the tables a little. Just to clarify, this takes place in a modern American town (which I made up). There is still magic, it's just not heroes/villains anymore but rather some characters possess magic and some belong to a coven of witches, wizards, and the like. I hope you enjoy!

“Mal, get back here!” Uma called as she ran after the purple-haired girl. Mal was moving fast and Uma nearly had to sprint to catch up, her hand catching the angry girl's arm. “Can you wait for a moment?”

“Wait for what, Uma?” Mal snarled, spinning around to face the shorter girl, her eyes glowing bright green. “For you to go behind my back _again_?”

“I never went behind your back, Mal. I told you this wasn't my decision. I never wanted to take your place—”

“ _Wow_. Are you really that dense or are you just playing dumb to further aggravate me?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I'm not mad because the elders put you in charge, Uma. I'm _mad_ because I know what happened between you and Harry.”

“Mal, I was going to tell you, really, I just—”

“Save it for someone who cares. I'm done here.” With a rough yank, Mal tugged her arm out of Uma’s grip. The purple-haired girl turned to leave, only to stop again at the sound of the other girl's voice.

“Where are you going? Just because you're mad at me doesn't mean you can just leave. We still have a meeting,” Uma pointed out, sounding tired of the argument.

“Last I checked, I can do whatever the hell I want. I'm not going to that meeting or the one after or anything else under your leadership,” Mal retorted bitingly.

“Subordination of that degree is grounds for being kicked out, Mal. If you walk away right now, I won't be able to stop them. They'll remove you from the coven.”

“Good. I don't need anything tying me to you. Goodbye, Uma.”


	2. Evie

_**One month later…** _

“Wow, I didn't know this school accepted strays,” a voice said from behind Mal. The purple-haired girl rolled her eyes at the sound of the voice, nearly shoving her own head into her locker in annoyance. With a deep breath, Mal forced herself to turn around.

“Evie,” Mal breathed out, trying not to sound as irritated as she was. Her green eyes took in the blue-clad girl standing in front of her, flanked on either side by members of her entourage. Mal forced a fake smile. “You know, I think you've used that line before. I thought you were more original than that.”

“Oh, look. It speaks,” Evie snarled. Her dark eyes were cold as she regarded Mal with disdain.

“Are you ever going to tell me what exactly you want from me, or are you just going to keep being a pain in the ass every morning like you have been for the past month?”

“You already know what I want. I want you out of my school, you freak.”

“Watch your mouth, _princess_. I'd really hate to see what would happen to a pretty little thing like you if I lose my temper.”

“Was that a threat?”

“Oh, no, princess. That was a warning.”

“I'm not scared of you.” And Mal could tell she wasn't bluffing. Unlike her posse, Evie didn't cower under Mal’s intense glare. Instead, she met it with a glare of her own, refusing to back down. Mal had to admit that a part of her was _very_ intrigued at the idea that Evie wasn't intimidated by her. But most of Mal remembered how insufferable Evie had been every day without fault for the entire month since Mal had transferred to this school. The purple-haired girl stepped closer to Evie, cursing her height and the fact that she couldn't tower over the older girl like she wanted to. Evie continued to watch Mal without moving, her eyes never softening.

“You _should_ be scared of me, and very much so,” Mal hissed, her voice low. She continued stalking towards the blue-haired girl, who remained motionless to her approach. Only when Mal closed the space between them and brought her lips to the girl's ear did Evie finally move, flinching away slightly at the unwanted proximity. Mal’s hot breath hit Evie’s ear as the shorter girl whispered, “If you're not careful, I'll have to show you just how bad I can be.”

Done with the conversation, Mal pulled away. She turned, slamming her locker shut before beginning to walk away. But then Evie spoke up again, causing Mal to stop.

“She told me about you, you know.” Evie said. “Uma.”

Mal involuntarily tensed at the name, her hands curling into fists at her sides. As much as she tried to convince herself that Uma meant nothing to her now, Mal could still feel the sting of betrayal every time she so much as thought of the other girl. Slowly, Mal turned back around to face Evie.

“How do you know Uma?” Mal asked through clenched teeth, the name tasting like acid in her mouth. Evie smirked, seeming to enjoy the obvious reaction that she’d drawn out of the purple-haired girl. With a wave of Evie’s hand, her mindless croons dispersed, leaving Mal and Evie alone in the hallway. Mal couldn’t even remember hearing the bell ring, and she hadn’t noticed when the hallway had cleared out, but she didn’t really care either. She was too focused on the girl staring at her with that smug smile that Mal wanted so badly to wipe off of her pretty face. Mal took a step closer, her voice barely more than a snarl as she repeated, “ _How do you know Uma_?”

“Oh, struck a nerve, did I?” Evie feigned innocent surprise, the mischievous glint in her eyes a stark contrast to the honey sweetness of her voice. Her dark eyes took in Mal’s stiff stance and clenched jaw, as well as the undecipherable flicker of emotions in those green orbs of hers. With a small smile, Evie continued. “She used to talk about you with such awe and admiration, you know. I used to ask her if she was sure she was actually your girlfriend and not just your cheerleader. But then something changed—I guess you changed, and so did her opinion of you. She got tired of you pretty quickly actually. It was almost too easy to convince her that she should just find someone better than you.”

It was an obvious taunt, a trap. Evie wanted to extract a reaction and Mal knew that. Mal knew that she should just ignore the girl and walk away, that she shouldn’t do what Evie wanted. But Mal also had a short temper, and Evie had pushed all the right buttons. A blind fury had replaced logic in Mal’s mind and, before she herself knew what was happening, she had Evie pinned against the wall of lockers. Mal’s forearm was roughly pressing against Evie’s chest, holding the girl in place. They were dangerously close, their faces only inches apart as Mal growled, her eyes glowing. For the first time, there was a flicker of fear in Evie’s expression and Mal could feel the girl’s heart begin to hammer in her chest.

“So it was your idea, huh? Do you even know what you caused? She _cheated_ on me because of you. Was that your plan too?” Mal demanded, voice laced with venom. Evie started squirming, clearly uncomfortable with the situation. Angered by the other girl’s silence, Mal slammed her fist into the lockers with a loud bang, mere centimeters away from Evie’s head. “Answer me!”

“I never said anything about cheating. I just told her to break up with you,” Evie finally admitted with a scared yelp. She ducked her head, clearly terrified by this point.

“You know, it’s rude not to look at someone when they’re talking to you.” Mal curled the fingers of her free hand around Evie’s jaw, forcing the older girl to look up with an aggressive tug. A cruel smile pulled at Mal’s lips as she saw the obvious flicker of fear in Evie’s eyes. “Scared now, aren’t you, princess?”

“Mal… you’re hurting me.” The soft whimper of pain was enough to snap Mal out of her rage and brought back her sense. She immediately pushed off of the frightened girl, who immediately scrambled away from her. “Uma was right. You _are_ crazy.”

“Evie, wait.” Mal stepped forward, her hand involuntarily reaching out to grab the other girl. She immediately recoiled however when Evie jolted back as if she’d been shocked, despite the distance that had already been placed between them.

“Stay the _hell_ away from me,” Evie hissed. She looked like a scared animal and, as much as Mal hated the girl, she felt guilt constrict her chest. Without ever looking away from Mal, Evie began retreating, walking backwards slowly until she was a safe enough distance away, at which point she turned on her heel and practically sprinted away.

***

Mal let out a frustrated sigh as she tore a page out of her sketchbook, crumpled it up, and tossed it aside. She was sitting on a lonely hill just outside of town, trying to clear her mind through drawing, but failing miserably.

“You know, littering is against the law,” a voice interrupted her. Mal rolled her eyes.

“Shouldn’t you be in class?” she said, turning her attention back to her drawing instead of to the boy who sat down next to her in the grass.

“I could say the same thing to you,” he replied. He leaned back against a tree, watching Mal in silence for a moment before speaking up. “Did something happen for you to be sulking out here? It’s not even lunch yet.”

“It’s nothing, Jay. I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Is it Evie again?”

“I said I don’t want to talk about it.” Jay didn’t even flinch when Mal raised her voice, and he didn’t shy away when she glared at him with her green eyes blazing. Instead, he waited quietly as Mal took a deep breath, calming herself. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell at you. I’m just on edge.”

“It’s fine. I’m used to it by now,” Jay teased, trying to lighten the mood a bit. He was successful in getting a weak smile from Mal before they both became serious again. “So are you going to tell me what happened or do I have to guess?”

“I lost my temper with Evie today,” Mal admitted, dropping her gaze. “I almost lost control. I could have seriously hurt her.”

“The elders warned you that without a coven to help you channel your magic, it would be harder for you to control yourself. They’ve left you alone because you haven’t caused that much trouble, but if you break one of the most important laws we have and you injure a human, they won’t let it slide.”

“I know. I didn’t intend to get so angry. She just knows which buttons to press to piss me off.”

“She must have really hit a nerve this time to get you that upset.”

“She mentioned… you know… _her_.”

“Wait, what? How do they even know each other?”

“I don’t know.” Mal shook her head, a sigh escaping her lips. “I really want to find out, but I don’t know how. It’s not like I can just ask Evie, especially not after today.”

“Well, you could always try—” Jay started, only to be cut off.

“ _Don’t_ say it,” Mal interjected.

“What? I was just going to say you should ask—” Jay tried again.

“Jay, I’m serious,” Mal warned.

“Uma. You should ask Uma,” Jay finally blurted.

“No!” Mal jumped to her feet. “No way. Not in a million years. I am _not_ asking Uma for help.”

“C’mon, Mal. You haven’t spoken to her since you left.”

“And I don’t plan on talking to her ever again. Not after what she did to me.”

“You never even let her explain what happened.”

“I don’t care what happened. She cheated, that’s all that I care about. And, on top of that, she took my spot as Youth Leader of the coven even though she knew how much I wanted it.”

“Look, despite how much you hate Uma, she may be the only person who can solve your little Evie mystery.” Jay stood up, dusting off his pants. He looked at Mal, a single eyebrow arched. “So, you can swallow your pride for once and go ask her. Or you can keep driving yourself crazy wondering. Your choice, Mal.”

“I can’t,” Mal said hesitantly. Jay shrugged, turning to leave.

“Oh, by the way,” he called over his shoulder as he slowly sauntered away. “We have a meeting tonight. Uma always stays behind when it’s done to sort through things. She should be there until eleven. In case you’re interested. See you around.”


	3. Mystery

Mal stood for a long time contemplating whether or not she should go into the large, old-looking building. Despite her better judgement, Mal had made the trudge across town and entered coven territory. She was sure the elders knew of her presence, but no one had appeared to remove her so she took it as a good sign. Now standing outside of the meeting hall, however, Mal felt the urge to turn and go back home without doing what she came here to do. Her pride was weighing on her, urging her to give up now and just go home. Her curiosity, on the other hand, made her push open the building's double oak doors and make her way inside. Mal was relatively calm as she made her way down the long hallway, but once she peeked into one of the meeting rooms and caught sight of Uma, a flurry of emotions went through her. Before she could stop herself, Mal stepped into the room, letting the door close behind her with a click that rang loudly in the empty place.

“Sorry, you can't be in here—” Uma started from where she was seated at the only desk in the room. When she lifted her head, she fell silent for a moment, shock and a series of other unreadable emotions changing her expression in quick succession.

“You know, I'm not one to be told I can't do something,” Mal commented with all of the nonchalance she could muster. She forced her face into a bored expression as she looked at Uma.

“M-Mal? What're you… why are you here?” Uma asked, visibly trying to regain her composure.

“I had a question that apparently only you can answer. A few questions actually. And you know how curious I am.” Mal offered a small smile, but it looked more like a menacing smirk.

“You can’t be in here. I can’t help you, I’m sorry.” There was a sad kind of hesitance in Uma’s eyes, but her expression was stern as she stood, beginning to gather her paperwork. “You should go.”

“Awe, and here I was hoping to hear about your friend Evie.” Mal felt a triumphant smile curl her lips as she saw Uma’s shoulders tense. The shorter girl lifted her head slowly, her eyes meeting the cold green of Mal’s.

“I don’t know who you’re talking about,” Uma said slowly in a blank voice.

“No? But she seemed to know an awful lot about you and, by extension, me. She said that you used to be like my personal cheerleader, but you got tired of me and then it was easy to convince you to move on,” Mal explained quietly, careful to keep her voice even. Although her voice was flat and emotionless, nearly bored, there was a dangerous iciness in Mal’s gaze that caused Uma to visibly swallow.

“How do you know Evie?” Uma whispered.

“I believe I asked first,” Mal responded with a false smile. “But if you must know, she’s been annoying me since I transferred. Don’t know why. It’s not like I did anything to her, though I’m guessing it has something to do with you.”

“You transferred to _Auradon High_?”

“Where the hell else would I go, Uma? There are only two public high schools in this damn town.”

“She didn’t tell me she met you.”

“Oh, so you do know her then?” Mal smirked at the way Uma cursed under her breath.

“Yes, okay? I know Evie. You have to stay away from her.”

“Why’s that? Afraid I’ll be a bad influence or something.”

“This isn’t a joke, Mal. Stay away from her. She’s bad news. I can’t give you any more information than that.” With that, Uma quickly shuffled out of the room, breezing past Mal as if being alone with her for too long might kill her. Mal stood alone in the empty room for a little while before a mischievous smile pulled up the corners of her lips.

“I love me some bad news.”

***

“Remind me again why we’re doing this,” Jay said tiredly the next afternoon as he and Mal walked down the street behind a small dog.

“Because Evie wasn’t in school today and I need to talk to her,” Mal responded with a roll of her eyes.

“I meant why are we looking for Evie?” Jay clarified. “I thought you talked to Uma last night.”

“I did, but talking to Uma was literally useless. She’s hiding something about Evie, and I intend to find out what it is,” Mal replied as if it should be the most obvious thing in the world.

“Didn’t she specifically tell you to stay away from this Evie chick?”

“What’s your point? I am _not_ about to listen to Uma of all people, especially when there’s a mystery to be solved.”

“You’re going to get yourself into trouble.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” Seeing Jay’s worried expression, Mal let out a chuckle, shoving his shoulder lightly. “C’mon, lighten up. I’ll be careful, okay?”

“Guys, we’re here,” a voice interrupted them. The pair looked up at what had, only moments ago, been the dog that they were following and was now a short, white-haired boy. He nodded down the street from where they were standing. Across the street and a few houses down, the faint silhouette of a girl could be seen on the porch. Mal beamed as she recognized Evie’s signature blue hair illuminated in the afternoon sun.

“Thanks, Carlos! You really are the best tracker in the coven!” Mal said excitedly. Then she grew serious, looking back and forth between the two boys. “Don’t either of you _dare_ try and intervene now. Stay put, or go home. I mean it.”

The two boys held their hands up in surrender and watched without moving as Mal turned away from them and began walking towards the previously indicated house. Mal almost instantly forgot about her two friends, her attention zoning in on the blue-haired beauty reading alone on her front porch. With silent steps, Mal sauntered up to the house, leaning against the banister of the few stairs leading up to the porch of the victorian-style house. For a moment, Mal watched Evie in silence, waiting to see if the older girl would pick up on her presence.

“How do you manage to make even reading seem incredibly annoying?” Mal finally spoke, a teasing lilt to her voice. She expected a snappy, sarcastic response, or an invitation to get lost. What she didn’t expect was for Evie’s head to snap up at the sound of her voice, the blue-haired girl scrambling out of her seat and nearly tripping over it in her attempt to distance herself from Mal. The younger girl’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Sorry, princess, didn’t mean to scare you.”

“ _You_. What the hell are you doing here? Are you stalking me now or something?” Evie demanded in a hiss, her eyes wide. Mal held up her hands to show she meant no harm.

“Whoa there, calm down. I was just in the neighborhood and I caught sight of you. I came over to talk, that's all,” Mal lied easily, recovering quickly from her initial surprise. “You weren't in school today and I thought I'd make sure you were okay.”

“Huh, didn't expect you to notice my absence or care,” Evie bit back sharply. Mal remained unfazed, careful not to let Evie get to her this time.

“It's hard to ignore the absence of your annoying voice buzzing in my ear.” Mal smiled crookedly. “Don't lie. You missed me too.”

“I most certainly did not.” Perhaps it was intended to be indignant, but Evie’s voice came out small. Her hand flew up to her face, fingers ghosting across her jaw as she ducked her head. It was clear that Mal wasn't supposed to see it, but she caught sight of the faint bruises that tainted Evie’s otherwise perfect skin. Mal felt her stomach churn with guilt at the sight.

“Did I… did I do that?” Mal squeaked. Her chest felt constricted at the thought that, in her anger, she'd hurt someone like that. Evie turned her face away, hiding behind her curtain of dark blue hair.

“You need to go before I call the cops,” she warned in a whisper, turning to head back into her house.

“Evie, wait!” Mal almost breathed a sigh of relief when the girl actually stopped, half turning back to face her.

“What do you want, Mal?”

“I want to apologize. I never meant to hurt you. I've just been having some… trouble lately keeping myself in check.” Mal rubbed the nape of her neck sheepishly. “It's difficult to explain.”

“Maybe you should get some help.”

“It's not that simple. You wouldn't understand.”

“I know what you meant. That's why I think you need help.”

“What do you mean you know what I meant? What are you talking about, Evie?"

“You should go. I'll see you in school tomorrow, Mal.” And, before Mal could stop her, Evie disappeared inside with a loud bang of the door, leaving a very confused Mal alone.


	4. The Truth Comes Out

Despite what Evie had said, Mal didn't see her at school the next day. She caught wisps of blue in her peripheral vision, but the girl was gone before Mal could even approach her. Not wanting to push her luck, Mal let Evie evade her for that day. But then the evasive behavior continued until the end of the week, and Mal wasn't about to let an entire weekend pass without talking to the girl. So, that Friday, Mal stayed after school and waited, knowing when and where she'd run into the girl she was looking for. And, as if on cue, Evie stepped out of the building, pushing open the doors precisely where Mal was waiting for her. The purple-haired girl pushed off of the wall as soon as the door swung open, the other girl still unaware of her presence.

“You've been avoiding me,” Mal said. Almost as if she'd been expecting it, Evie let out a sigh and slowly turned around.

“For someone who got the hint, you're pretty persistent,” Evie commented, but her usual snark was absent. “So, have you been following me or something?”

“I didn't have to. After the first few days of you annoying the shit out of me, I memorized your routine so I could stay out of your way as much as possible,” Mal admitted.

“Which is definitely less creepy than following me around,” Evie replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes. Mal shrugged.

“I never said it was less creepy, I just said I wasn't following you.”

“Well I'm glad we cleared that up.” Evie turned, not waiting for an answer before beginning to walk away.

“Evie, wait!” Mal moved forward, grabbing Evie’s arm to stop her from leaving. However, she retracted her hand quickly after seeing Evie visibly flinch at the sudden contact. “I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to—”

“No, no. It's fine. I'm just… jumpy.”

“Because you're scared of me now.” There was a strange sort of sadness in Mal’s voice, and she herself wasn't sure why it bothered her if Evie feared her, especially since that was something she had wanted not too long ago.

“I'm not scared of you, Mal.” There was a beat of silence, and then suddenly, “Do you have anywhere to be right now?”

“W-What?” Mal stammered, taken off guard by the question.

“Do you have anywhere to be right now?” Evie repeated. “I'd appreciate it if you walked me home. I believe there are some things you want to talk about.”

***

“Should I be worried that you're being nice to me?” Mal asked, breaking the silence that had engulfed the pair since their walk began. Evie chuckled softly, and Mal realized that she'd never heard the girl's genuine laughter. It didn't take her long to come to the conclusion that she really liked the sound.

“Why would you be worried? Shouldn't you be happy I'm not trying to make your life hell?” Evie answered, raising an eyebrow. She smiled and, for once, it was playful and sweet instead of cold and malicious. It made Mal very confused as to how to think about this girl she was supposed to hate so much.

“I think I might prefer the Evie that was mean to me. At least I could bicker with her. I don't know how to act when you're being so… sweet.” Evie laughed again, and Mal felt even more confused by this unfamiliar dynamic.

“I'm sorry for the way I've been treating you this past month,” the blue-haired girl apologized after her laughter ceased. “You didn’t deserve it. I just… I’ve been having some personal issues and I took out my frustrations on you.”

“It’s fine. I’m just a bit curious as to why me of all people.”

“Well, it was partially because you were new. But it mostly had a lot to do with Uma, as I’m sure you’ve figured out. It wasn’t that she put me up to it or anything, but I got to hear all about you from her, the good and the bad. And I didn’t like a lot of the things I heard about you.”

“Yeah, well, I’m definitely an acquired taste.” It was meant to be a joke, but there was a bitter undertone to Mal’s voice. “Did I live up to the expectations?”

“I haven’t decided yet. Uma said a lot of good things about you—about what a great leader you are and how talented you are. I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing anything beyond ‘Mal the Hothead’, but then again I can see you’re not as callous as you pretend to be.”

“Wow, princess. You’ve really psychoanalyzed me, haven’t you?”

“Something like that,” Evie chuckled. There was a pause and then the older girl tilted her head, peering curiously at Mal. “Aren’t you going to ask?”

“Ask what?” Mal inquired.

“About my connection to Uma.”

“I figured you’d bring it up on your own when you wanted to talk about it.”

“Hmm, I think you’re right. It is weird when we’re nice to each other.” Mal let out a hearty laugh at that, and Evie was surprised that the girl who seemed to be perpetually in a bad mood was capable of such a wholesome sound.

“Now, since you brought it up, are you going to tell me how you know Uma?” Mal asked.

“She’s my tutor. She’s been helping me for months now and we sort of bonded. I guess you could say that we’re friends. That’s why I know so much about you and your relationship with her,” Evie explained.

“Your tutor, really? You don’t really seem like the type to have trouble in school.”

“It’s complicated. But… um… Mal?”

“Why do you suddenly look and sound so nervous?”

“Because there’s one more thing I have to mention. I know about you and her… I know you’re both witches.”

“W-What are you talking about?” Mal’s mouth had gone dry, her palms beginning to sweat. She hadn’t even realized it but she’d come to an abrupt halt, unable to look up at Evie.

“I wasn’t supposed to know, but I figured it out. Don’t worry, I promised her I wouldn’t tell anyone and I haven’t—”

“I’m going to kill her,” Mal said in a low snarl, her surprise replaced by anger. She spun around, ready to storm off, but a hand caught on the crook of her elbow.

“Mal, stop,” Evie ordered quietly. Mal was ready to snap at her to let go, but there was something in Evie’s eyes when their gazes met that made Mal pause. “Please, you’re going to hurt someone if you get angry again.”

“You know I didn’t mean to hurt you, right?” Mal asked, deflating immediately. Evie offered her a soft smile. There was something about that smile that confused Mal more than she already was, emotions churning in her stomach.

“I know. I know your magic is hard to control right now and it messes with your emotions.”

“But how? How do you know all of this? You shouldn’t know anything about magic.” Evie paused for a moment, looking away from Mal. The younger girl was still acutely aware of Evie’s hand on her arm, but it felt oddly reassuring instead of intrusive. When the blue-haired girl looked back, there was a new flicker in her eyes and a smirk pulling at her lips.

“Mal, would you like to come in for a snack?”

***

The inside of Evie’s house was no less beautiful than the outside. It was elegantly old-fashioned and perfectly tidy. In a small town like theirs, this house was basically a castle.

“Are you sure your parents won’t mind me being here?” Mal asked for about the tenth time, her leg bouncing nervously as she waited for Evie on the living room sofa.

“You’ve already asked that, Mal, and it’s really fine. They’re not even in town so they might not even know,” Evie chuckled, walking into the living room with a two mugs in her hands. She sat down on the couch next to Mal, handing a mug over to the shorter girl. “I hope you like hot chocolate. I thought it might be a nice way to relax.”

“I love hot chocolate. I have a soft spot for chocolate in general actually,” Mal admitted, taking a sip of the hot liquid and humming contentedly. “Is that something else you learned about me from Uma?”

“No, actually that was a lucky guess,” Evie giggled, taking a sip from her own mug. Her expression suddenly became solemn and she set her mug down on the coffee table, eyebrows furrowed. “I’m sorry about Uma by the way. I didn’t know how things had ended between you, and I regret playing any part in it.”

“It’s alright. Uma’s actions are her own and you’re not responsible for what she did, despite any part you might have played.”

“Still, all this time I was holding you solely responsible. I just I wanted to blame you so badly, so I did. I wanted to hate you.”

“You know, you haven’t really told me why yet. I mean, I get you were Uma’s friend and all, but you treated me like you had a personal problem with me.”

“I didn’t like the way Uma described your treatment of her. She idolized you right from the beginning. And at first, I could tell that she was happy and that you treated her with love and respect. But then it was like you got tired of her so you stopped trying so hard. I’m not sure if it was conscious or not on your part, but Uma started to feel like you were just using her.”

“Using her? What for?”

“She wasn’t sure, but it seemed like you only paid attention to her when it was convenient for you. And you were so focused on moving up in the coven and gaining a leadership position that she became a secondary concern to you.”

“And that’s why you treated me so poorly? Because of the way I treated Uma?”

“That was my reason at first. I hated you because I know what it feels like to be with someone for ‘perks’ and not because you’re actually interested in them. I know how emotionally abusive those relationships are, and I hated you for putting Uma in that position when all she had done was care for you.”

“I never meant to treat her that way, I swear. I didn’t realize how much harm I had caused her until you pointed it out.”

“I know. That’s why I couldn’t keep hating you for that. I realized very quickly after meeting you that you weren’t an awful person. You’re standoffish, but you aren’t cold. You’re intimidating, but you aren’t mean. You’re rebellious, but you’re not bad. I liked your fire and your attitude, and I liked that you never backed down from me. And that just made me hate you more.”

“Wait, what? If you thought I was a good person and you liked my personality, why did that make you hate me?” Evie didn’t answer for a while, picking up her mug and taking a few sips in silence instead. Just when Mal was beginning to get impatient, Evie looked up again.

“I never told you why I snapped at you the other day,” the older girl said suddenly.

“What? What are you talking about?” Mal demanded, confused.

“The other day. You lost your temper because I brought up Uma. I used her as a taunt to push your buttons. I wanted to explain why, and to apologize.”

“You don’t have to justify yourself or explain anything, you know.”

“Can I share something with you then? It’s related.”

“Um, okay… I guess.”

“You know I have a boyfriend, right?”

“So I’ve heard.” Something about the thought made Mal’s stomach twist uncomfortably, and she wasn’t quite sure why. “What about it?”

“Well, he’s a nice guy. He’s not a total airhead and he’s athletic and a good leader. I’m sure that as a friend he’s funny and great to be around. But he’s a terrible boyfriend—to me at least,” Evie admitted. She said it as if it was nothing, as if she was just telling a story that had nothing to do with her.

“What do you mean? Has he hurt you?” Mal asked, a slight tremble to her voice.

“No, no. Not in the way you’re thinking anyway. Emotionally, though, yeah, he’s done some damage.” Evie let out a sigh. “He doesn’t love me, and he knows I don’t love him either, but he insists that we should sleep together. And he isn’t so nice when he doesn’t get what he wants.”

“I don’t get it. If there are no feelings between you two and he treats you poorly, then why are you together?”

“The thing is that he knows something about me that I didn’t want anyone else to know, especially my mother. He promised to help me keep the secret and that’s why we started dating, but he’s tired of the fake relationship, especially because he can’t get anything out of it. The day I confronted you and pushed you too hard, I was angry because I broke things off with my boyfriend and it turned into a huge argument. He threatened to tell everyone my secret, but I didn’t care anymore. I was angry and I took it out on you because you’d played a role in my decision.”

“What was the secret? What did I have to do with it?”

“Ever since I was a kid, my mother was convinced that I’d meet the perfect guy someday and marry my Prince Charming, and how could I possibly tell her that she was wrong. I’d never find find my Prince Charming because I don’t want a prince. I want a princess.” Mal had been staring at her feet throughout Evie’s story, unable to meet the older girl’s gaze, but Mal’s head shot up at the sudden confession. She had never considered that Evie might not be straight, and the news shocked her. Something about the blue-haired girl’s expression, however, made Mal feel that whatever Evie was about to say next would be much more shocking. “Do you know why I hated you so much, Mal?”

“Why?” the younger girl choked out, though she wasn’t sure she wanted to know.

“I hated you because you’re beautiful, and smart, and you’re not the complete jerk I thought you were.” Evie looked at Mal through her lashes, her voice dropping to a husky whisper, and the purple-haired girl suddenly realized that they were actually sitting really close. “I hated you because I wanted you and I didn’t have the courage to say so. But I don’t want to be hung up on the ‘what ifs’ forever.”

Mal found herself unable to answer, her lips parted slightly in surprise. However, she didn’t move away when Evie tentatively cupped her cheek, and she didn’t protest when Evie started to close the minimal distance between them. Mal wasn’t sure if it was curiosity or something much deeper that compelled her to meet Evie halfway and seal their lips together in a kiss that sent jolts of electricity down her spine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this took so much time to update. I have several other projects in the works and some of them take precedence over this. I'll try to update again soon. Hope it's been enjoyable so far ;)


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